Evelyne Crochet

EVELYNE CROCHET (b 1934)
French-American pianist

Evelyne Crochet is particularly close to me heart. It was as a result of having acquired a record of her's when I was a teenager that I discovered the piano music of Eric Satie and I can't hear or play his music without thinking of her. Her wonderful performances of some of this music can be heard below.

Evelyne Crochet's Bach, while not among my favorites, is very pleasing. Her's is a straightforward approach, and while I never find myself quite excited by her playing, I never have the impression that what I am hearing is hearing is not musically correct. If there is one criticism I would make, it is that her playing lacks a certain forward impetus that is dictated by the harmonic imperative of Bach's music.

Nor am I thrilled by her Fauré, though I am grateful to be able to hear so much of this relatively rarely performed music. On the other hand,her accompaniment in the two songs by the same composer show me a good deal more of her dramatic capability. I can only imagine what these songs might be performed by a superior singer.

I find her Schubert to be splendid. The recording of the Impromptu, D 946 is on of my favorites. And her performance of the F minor Fantasie for four hands with Alfred Brendel is to die for. I don't know which part she plays, but it doesn't matter. They play as one.

And Evelyne Crochet's Mozart, if one can judge from the single movement of the concerto below, is stunning.

Bach The Well Tempered Clavier

Preludes and Fugues Book I

1 in C major, BWV 846
03:45 ➢ 2 in C minor, BWV 847
06:58 ➢ 3 in C♯ major, BWV 848
10:35 ➢ 4 in C♯ minor, BWV 849
17:56 ➢ 5 in D major, BWV 850
21:17 ➢ 6 in D minor, BWV 851
24:58 ➢ 7 in E♭ major, BWV 852
30:38 ➢ 8 in E♭ minor, BWV 853
39:49 ➢ 9 in E major, BWV 854
42:18 ➢ 10 in E minor, BWV 855
45:54 ➢ 11 in F major, BWV 856
48:16 ➢ 12 in F minor, BWV 857
54:40 ➢ 13 in F♯ major, BWV 858
57:48 ➢ 14 in F♯ minor, BWV 859
02:20 ➢ 15 in G major, BWV 860
1:05:56 ➢ 16 in G minor, BWV 861
1:10:20 ➢ 17 in A♭ major, BWV 862
1:14:03 ➢ 18 in G♯ minor, BWV 863
1:19:34 ➢ 19 in A major, BWV 864
1:22:53 ➢ 20 in A minor, BWV 865
1:28:30 ➢ 21 in B♭ major, BWV 866
1:31:18 ➢ 22 in B♭ minor, BWV 867
1:37:40 ➢ 23 in B major, BWV 868
1:41:05 ➢ 24 in B minor, BWV 869

Preludes and Fugues Book II

1 in C major, BWV 870
04:11 ➢ 2 in C minor, BWV 871
08:37 ➢ 3 in C♯ major, BWV 872
12:16 ➢ 4 in C♯ minor, BWV 873
19:30 ➢ 5 in D major, BWV 874
27:55 ➢ 6 in D minor, BWV 875
31:20 ➢ 7 in E♭ major, BWV 876
35:50 ➢ 8 in E♭ minor, BWV 877
43:33 ➢ 9 in E major, BWV 878
50:49 ➢ 10 in E minor, BWV 879
57:13 ➢ 11 in F major, BWV 880
1:02:25 ➢ 12 in F minor, BWV 881
1:09:58 ➢ 13 in F♯ major, BWV 882
1:15:34 ➢ 14 in F♯ minor, BWV 883
1:23:29 ➢ 15 in G major, BWV 884
1:27:14 ➢ 16 in G minor, BWV 885
1:33:10 ➢ 17 in A♭ major, BWV 886
1:40:15 ➢ 18 in G♯ minor, BWV 887
1:50:39 ➢ 19 in A major, BWV 888
1:53:30 ➢ 20 in A minor, BWV 889
1:59:53 ➢ 21 in B♭ major, BWV 890
2:09:19 ➢ 22 in B♭ minor, BWV 891
2:17:45 ➢ 23 in B major, BWV 892
2:22:22 ➢ 24 in B minor, BWV 893

Mozart Piano Concerto 22 in E♭ major, K 482
Charles Munch conducting the Boston Symphony Orchestra

ii Andante

recorded live in 1962

Schubert 2 Impromptu from Drei Klavierstücke, D 946

Part I

Part II

Schubert Fantasie in F minor, D 940
with Alfred Brendel, piano

recorded in the early 1960s

Fauré Romances sans paroles, Op 17

1 Andante quasi allegretto in A♭ major
02:00 ➢ 2 Allegro molto in A minor
04:17 ➢ 3 Andante moderato in A♭ major

recorded in the early 1960s

Gabriel Fauré Impromptus

1 in E♭ major, Op 25
03:52 ➢ 2 in F minor, Op 31
07:37 ➢ 3 in A♭ major, Op 34
11:55 ➢ 4 in D♭ major, Op 91
16:43 ➢ 5 in F♯ minor

recorded in the early 1960s

Fauré Barcarolles

1 in A minor, Op 26
03:56 ➢ 2 in G major, Op 41
10:18 ➢ 3 in G♭ major, Op 42
17:28 ➢ 4 in A♭ major, Op 44
21:15 ➢ 5 in F♯ minor, Op 66
27:30 ➢ 6 in E♭ major, Op 70
30:58 ➢ 7 in D minor, Op 90
34:27 ➢ 8 in D♭ major, Op 96
38:03 ➢ 9 in A minor, Op 101
42:23 ➢ 10 in A minor, Op 104~2
45:42 ➢ 11 in G minor, Op 105~1
50:05 ➢ 12 in E♭ major, Op 105~2
53:29 ➢ 13 in C major, Op 116

recorded in the early 1960s

Gabriel Fauré Valse-Caprices

1 in A major, Op 30
06:41 ➢ 2 in D♭t major, Op 38
13:34 ➢ 3 in G♭ major, Op 59
20:38 ➢ 4 in A♭ major, Op 62

recorded in the early 1960s

Fauré Mazurka, Op 32

recorded in the early 1960s

Fauré Nocturnes

1 in E-flat minor, Op 33~1
07:28 ➢ 2 in B major, Op 33~2
14:12 ➢ 3 in A♭ major, Op 33~3
19:15 ➢ 4 in E♭ major, Op 36
25:45 ➢ 5 in B♭ major, Op 37
33:55 ➢ 6 in D♭ major, Op 63
42:18 ➢ 7 in C♯ minor, Op 74
[for Nocturne 8 see Op 84 below]
51:29 ➢ 9 in B-minor - B major, Op 97
55:46 ➢ 10 in E minor, Op 99
1:01:05 ➢ 11 in F♯ minor, Op. 104~1
1:05:40 ➢ 12 in E minor, Op 107
1:11:52 ➢ 13 in B minor, Op 119

recorded in the early 1960s

Gabriel Fauré Theme and Variations, Op 73

recorded in the early 1960s

Fauré Pièces brèves, Op 84

1 Capriccio in E♭ major
01:54 ➢ 2 Fantasie in A♭ major
03:53 ➢ 3 Fugue in A minor
06:23 ➢ 4 Adagietto in E minor
09:49 ➢ 5 Improvisation in C♯ minor
11:19 ➢ 6 Fugue in E minor
13:42 ➢ 7 Allégresse in C major
15:06 ➢ 8 Nocturne 8 in D♭ major

recorded in the early 1960s

Fauré Préludes, Op 103

1 in D♭ major
03:40 ➢ 2 in C♯ minor
05:55 ➢ 3 in G minor
09:53 ➢ 4 in F major
12:15 ➢ 5 in D minor
14:57 ➢ 6 in E♭ minor
17:02 ➢ 7 in A major
19:51 ➢ 8 in C minor
21:03 ➢ 9 in E minor

recorded in the early 1960s

Fauré Songs
with Benita Valente, soprano

recorded live in 1995

"Clair de lune"

"En Sourdine"

Satie Piano Pieces

Nouvelles pieces froides
Effronterie-Désespoir agréable-Songe-creux-Profondeur-Prelúde canin
Gymnopédies
Avant-derniéres pensées
Réveries nocturnes
Premiere pensee Rose-Croix-Petite ouverture ä danser
Les trois valses distinguées du précieux dégoüté